Stratford Macy's to close, part of 68 closures nationwide
Macy's Inc. said Wednesday it will close 68 stores by the end of this year, including the one at Stratford Square Mallin Bloomingdale.
The retail giant plans to cut about 6,200 jobs after holiday sales came in lower than forecast. The Stratford store, which opened in 1981, has 87 employees expected to be affected by the closure.
Workers will be offered positions at other stores, where possible. Eligible full-time and part-time workers also will be offered severance benefits.
Village leaders are not happy with the news but say they are optimistic about redevelopment opportunities.
"We're clearly disappointed, but we've been working closely with the developers of Stratford Square on its redevelopment of the mall. But we need to realize that the dynamics of the suburban malls are changing, and we need to work with Stratford to react to this," said Bloomingdale Village President Franco Coladipietro. "While this is a negative for Bloomingdale, we're still proud that we work on redeveloping other vacant space in the village, including a new Mariano's that opens next week."
Other Illinois stores slated to close include those at Alton Square Mall in Alton and Eastland Mall in Bloomington.
In addition to closing stores, Macy's plans to sell some properties, including in downtown Minneapolis, the Stonestown store in San Francisco and in downtown Portland, Oregon.
"While we are pleased with the strong performance of our highly developed online business, as well as the progress we have made on selling and visual presentation programs and expense reduction initiatives in 2016, we continue to experience declining traffic in our stores where the majority of our business is still transacted," Terry J. Lundgren, chairman and CEO Macy's, said in a statement.
The recent initiatives are expected to save the company about $550 million while the company then invests an additional $250 million in growing its digital business and helping certain stores grow.
Other Macy's stores operate around the suburbs in Northbrook, Oak Brook Mall, Bolingbrook, Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Hawthorn Center in Vernon Hills, Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee, and Old Orchard in Skokie.
Macy's stores that will close
Macy's said Wednesday that it is moving forward with 68 store closures, which are part of the 100 closings it announced in August. Here's a look at the recently closed and soon-to-close locations.
Closed in 2016
• Laurel Plaza, North Hollywood, California
• Ala Moana Jewel Gallery, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Valley Fair, West Valley City, Utah
Closings slated for early 2017
• Greenwood, Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Carolina Place, Pineville, North Carolina
• Douglaston, Douglaston, New York
• Downtown Portland, Portland, Oregon
• Lancaster Mall, Salem, Oregon
• Oakwood Mall, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Anticipated year-end closings
• Mission Valley Apparel, San Diego, California
• Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, California
• Lakeland Square, Lakeland, Florida
• Oviedo Marketplace, Oviedo, Florida
• Sarasota Square, Sarasota, Florida
• University Square, Tampa, Florida
• CityPlace, West Palm Beach, Florida
• Georgia Square, Athens, Georgia
• Nampa Gateway Center, Nampa, Idaho
• Alton Square, Alton, Illinois
• Stratford Square, Bloomingdale, Illinois
• Eastland, Bloomington, Illinois
• Jefferson, Louisville, Kentucky
• Esplanade, Kenner, Louisiana
• Bangor, Bangor, Maine
• Westgate, Brockton, Massachusetts
• Silver City Galleria, Taunton, Massachusetts
• Lakeview Square Mall, Battle Creek, Michigan
• Eastland Center, Harper Woods, Michigan
• Lansing, Lansing, Michigan
• Westland, Westland, Michigan
• Minneapolis Downtown, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Northgate, Durham, North Carolina
• Columbia, Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Moorestown, Moorestown, New Jersey
• Voorhees Town Center, Voorhees, New Jersey
• Preakness, Wayne, New Jersey
• Cottonwood, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Great Northern, Clay, New York
•Oakdale Mall, Johnson City, New York
•The Marketplace, Rochester, New York
•Eastland, Columbus, Ohio
•Sandusky, Sandusky, Ohio
•Fort Steuben, Steubenville, Ohio
•Promenade, Tulsa, Oklahoma
•Neshaminy, Bensalem, Pennsylvania
•Shenango Valley, Hermitage, Pennsylvania
•Beaver Valley, Monaca, Pennsylvania
•Lycoming, Muncy, Pennsylvania
•Plymouth Meeting, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
•Washington Crown Center, Washington, Pennsylvania
•Parkdale, Beaumont, Texas
•Southwest Center, Dallas, Texas
•Sunland Park, El Paso, Texas
•Greenspoint, Houston, Texas
•West Oaks Mall, Houston, Texas
•Pasadena Town Square, Pasadena, Texas
•Collin Creek, Plano, Texas
•Broadway Square, Tyler, Texas
•Layton Hills, Layton, Utah
•Cottonwood, Salt Lake City, Utah
•Landmark, Alexandria, Virginia
•River Ridge, Lynchburg, Virginia
•Everett, Everett, Washington
•Three Rivers, Kelso, Washington
•Valley View, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Other 2017 Closings
•Simi Valley Town Center (men's/home/kids), Simi Valley, California
•Mall at Tuttle Crossing (furniture/home/kids/men's), Dublin, Ohio
• Associated Press